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🏨 Where to stay in Bangkok?
🖨️ Print this before your flight
🚗 Getting Around
📍Google Maps pins
🛍️ Shopping
🛍️ Chatachuk Weekend Market
📍 Koh Kret
| One of the first questions I often get: "What should I do in Bangkok, I only have a day?"
"Start by extending your trip another 24-48 hours."
Pick a hotel location that will limit the amount of time you need to spend in a car. My suggestion would be to stay off the Sukhumvit Line. This will make it possible to take public transit from the airport to your hotel and easy to get around. You also don't need to spend large sums of money to be located in a really nice area.
Here are some properties for >$100/ night I would stay in again:
Instead of driving, download Grab* (Uber does not work in Thailand). This will allow you to use a credit card instead of fumbling around in the back of a dark taxi for cash. Grab also delivers $3 pad thai at 2am, or you can take a ride on a scooter across town.
*my referral link. We both get some credit, tbh I don't know how much.
Many Grab drivers offer private transfer or daily rate services. If you were impressed with your driver's service/vehicle ask if they have a card.
Temples and cultural sites will require covered knees and shoulders. The heat is pressing. Men should pack a pair of capris. For women, a super light cover or shawl-type cover is useful. In both cases, you can also choose to purchase souvenir elephant pants or cool scarves locally.
If you buy locally, prices are often unmarked. To avoid overpaying here are common reference points (1USD≈35THB)
Elephant Pants: 100-200THB
Shawls/Scarves: 90-150THB
When looking at clothing quality, stick to typical guidelines:
Don't skip mobile access in Bangkok. Within a day there will be a scenario where you will be walking in the heat and wish you could call a rideshare. If you would like to have cell service before you land, you can purchase an e-sim through AIS from your home country. You can also use Airalo to purchase a 1 week or 15 day unlimited plan for $10/$20 respectively.
For those that want to wait until they are in the country to buy a sim, see my tip below.
**My link will give you a $3 credit.
If you don't travel often, look at your credit cards, airline programs, etc. You may have a status match to a hotel chain that can get you a slight upgrade, welcome gift, or small amenity during your stay. US credit cards such as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless and IHG Select card will give you a boost towards getting status, 0 foreign transaction fees, and 1 free night per year as a perk.
| Want to drink beers & talk about credit card status?
Ok, that's everything I think I can pre-arm you with. Once you've booked your trip, print the next section. You'll thank me when your brain isn't working after the crazy long-haul flight. I'm excited about your trip!
My suggestion would be to take a taxi for around $20USD because you will probably be tired and jet-lagged. If you're on a budget, the train, then bus are your best options:
I'll start with my favorite post-long-haul activity. It involves air-conditioning, minimal sweating, lots of food, and walking.
Grab a shower, then jump on the BTS (The Bangkok Skytrain) and head to the Siam stop. To pay for the train simply purchase a ticket from one of the machines. You can also buy a single journey fare, or a "Rabbit Card" at the manned kiosk in any station if you plan to stay a few days and use the BTS frequently.
Be aware that the ticket machines usually only accept coins. If you decide to purchase a transit card, you will need your passport to complete the purchase as well as cash to pay for the transaction. One way tickets are issued in the form of a card. You tap in to get on the train, then feed the card into the slot to exit (it will not return the card, this is normal).
Once you've made it to the Siam stop you should follow the signs to the "Siam Discovery" exit. A >10 minute walk will take you to MBK, the OG Bangkok Megamall. MBK was the largest mall in Thailand when it was completed in the 1980s. It's 8 stories tall, a full city block in length, and has over 2000 shops.
If you're hungry you can find food on the ground floor as well as floors 5 and 6. I personally save eating for Siam Paragon or centralwOrld, but the food is cheap so why not have extra meals?
Once you've grown tired of MBK it's easy to keep walking with minimal interruption to your air-conditioned status. Siam Discovery is diagonally opposite MBK, you can use the skywalk to cross traffic on the 2nd floor.
Siam Discovery is connected to Siam Center & Siam Paragon in that order. The Siam malls are filled with many western shops (Nike, Adidas, etc.). Other than different food options and currency you might not know you were in Bangkok. This is where I would head if your luggage is lost. Every shop here will accept credit card, provide you with a valid receipt for compensation, and provide warranty.
Siam Paragon has the nicest food options, but it can get extremely crowded. If you get hungry I would walk across the street to centralwOrld:
200-300THB is more than enough for a meal. If you're a heavy drinker double that to spend at the bar. You can take the card back at the end of your meal in order to recoup your 20THB deposit and any remaining change.
PS. For those Millenials out there, there is a Toys R Us in centralwOrld!
Chatachuk will have far fewer tourists than any of the markets a tour agent will try to sell you on. It's also closer to Bangkok than the typical "floating market" tourist traps you may have read about. Add in that it will only cost you a couple dollars to take the BTS and I'd ask why you're paying that travel agent?
Most of the stalls at Chatachuk will be willing to negotiate on price. If you look like a foreigner or a tourist you may not get the best offer the first time you ask how much something costs. Note: If you are considering buying multiples, hold that card in your back pocket. Once you are ready to make a purchase use this as leverage to negotiate the best price.
If you walk quickly, it takes about 90 minutes to see absolutely everything. I'd suggest going at a leisurely pace while having a delicious coconut ice cream with sticky rice.
It's not worth taking public transit for this trip. Instead book a Grab to take you directly to Pho Wat. This entrance is usually the least crowded, you will need 200THB per person in cash for the entrance fee. It takes at least an hour to properly see the temple including standing in line to see the reclining Buddha.
From here you can easily go to either:
If you decide to head to the Grand Palace next, it's pretty easy to walk. You can also negotiate with a Tuk-Tuk to take you if it's hot. If you are headed to Wat Arun the instructions are a slightly more involved:
I can't suggest an itinerary or anything here. What I would suggest is taking a bit of cash, some patience, and your camera.
Getting to Koh Kret will almost certainly require a driver. To get there, I would simply order a Grab. Once you've arrived at the dropoff point, walk to the ferry pier and get on the first boat. The ferry is free to cross, but you have to pay 3THB to enter the island once you arrive.
Visiting Koh Kret is best done from a bicycle or electric scooter. You can rent one for a couple of hours or a full day immediately after you pay the entrance fee. The island is a big loop. Part of the road surrounding it is a literal market that you will need to ride through. Be careful here and remember that you traditionally drive on the left side so oncoming traffic will pass you on your right.
Note, taking a taxi back may be your only option. If you saved a grab driver's information you can ask them if they can do both a pickup and dropoff.